St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-06-23
THE EFFECT OF ovERsHADING
W. Thornton Parker, M. d., in Sanitarian.

W. Thornton Parker II. d., IN Sanitarian.
For many years our people have
given considerable attention to this
subject of forest culture, but instead
of exercising their influence in the di-
rectiOn of forest culture and prOtec-
ton where it is most needed, many
seem to content themselves with plant
ing as many trees as possible in our
parks and streets and on their private
grounds in our cities and towns. This
love for the beauty of foliage has often
been too extravagantly bestowed, and
the societies formed for the planting
are not always under the direction of
the wisest, and the planting, from a
sanitary point of view, has not yet re-
ceived much attention. To plant as
many trees as possible seems to be the
only rule, and this is limited only by
the means of the planter and the
amount of land at his disposal. This
natural love for the beauty of foliage,
and the adherence so many feel at
the sight of falling trees, have been
often recited in the old poem of "Wood-
man, spare that tree" So much has
this affection been misdirected, that
many sicken and die from too much
foliage in our towns and villages, even
as many must also suffer from the
wanton destruction of our forests out
side.
Houses Overshaded are not healthful.
and too many trees near sleeping and
living rooms exercise II very injurious
influence. 1t would seem as if these
truths must be too we'll known to need
any statement, but journey through
many of our towns the past summer
and careful investigation have con-
WINGED me that this undesirable cOndi-
tion of things is only too common, and
has become positive injury in almost
every direction. The bad results are,
in point of fact, much more serious
than most people seem to be aware of.
A soil loaded with roots and densely
shaded is unfit for man to live upon
constantly, and is certainly no place
for permanent house. fhe air enter
ing the bedrooms and living rooms from
such surroundings is chilly and dead,
and is not at all nutritious as it should
be. Such an atmosphere cannot bring
health, but is on the contrary, very apt
to be productive of sickness and even
death, especially among children and
lnyalids. The axe would be a rich
blessing if freely used about countless
thousands of our OvershadOwed homes !;
and it would be we'll for our people if
medical men would bear this i'm mind,
and govern themselves accordingly !;
frankly stating to their patients, in as
summing the professional care of the
sick, that Improvement cannot be ex-
pected to take place until some of the
M, I,, Il
removed. Trees preventing the in
coming of Gods sunshine into our
homes should be speedily cut down
and culled away, and then the soil
would be allowed some chance to dry,
or rather, one might truly say, "to
breathe J" The earth, to be healthy,
needs, just as our bodies need, con-
tact with the warm dry air and the
life giving rays of the sun. AS man
pales, sickens, and dies without the
blessing of the sunshine, so, too, the
earth dies and becomes unfit for even
the feet of man. The Importance of
healthy soil about our homes must be
more carefully considered in studying
the laws of health. The houses which
are Overshaded contain dead, poison
Gus air, and cease to be fit for human
habitatiOn. 1t frequently happens
that physicians are called upon to pre-
scribe for ailing people who seem to
possess every comfort and luxury, and
who are really failing only because
their houses and grounds are over
shaded. This evil cannot be overesti-
mated, and it is certainly serious
enough to arouse the attention of the
medical profession to contend against
it. We can easily see, then, that the
beauties of the foliage which are so
justly admired are often attained at
great loss of health and even of life
itself; and undoubtedly consumption,
that most dreaded disease of these lati-
tudes, is caused in countless instances
by Overshading our streets and house
yards.